This park has suffered from massive alienation of land - losing many hectares to railyards, police barracks, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the SAMRI centre etc.

From 1837 up until the late 1950s this area was used and abused for many purposes, and rarely resembled a park.

It was only in the late 1950s that a determined effort was made to turn it into a Park, before finally gaining its current name of Bonython Park in the 1960s.Prior to this it was known as “Hemsley’s Paddock” after the Clerk of the Sheep and Cattle Market that operated in this area.